Nokia Lumia 521 Review, Specs: WP8 Smartphone Feature 4” Display, 512 RAM, 8 GB Memory, Dual-core Processor, 5 MP Camera; Where Quality, Price Didn’t Mix

Nokia Lumia 521 review, specs: Powered by a 1-GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and running on Microsoft Windows 8, the Lumia 521 sports a 4-inch display, 512 RAM, 8 GB internal storage (expandable up to 64 GB), and a 5 Megapixel camera, all wrapped up in a very low price that lets you enjoy the perks of a Lumia phone without the painful price tag. However, are the features worth even the budget-friendly price?

Here is a quick look at the Lumia 521’s specs, features, and overall performance.

DISPLAY & DESIGN. With a dimension of 124 x 64 x 9.9 mm and a weight of only 124.5 grams, this handset is known as one of the most compact phones in the Lumia series. Unlike its bigger brothers and even the other competition in the market, the Lumia 521 can boast of its portability and relatively small body which can be held comfortably in one hand.

Meanwhile, its 4-inch display has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and a pixel density of 235 ppi. This is definitely not the best quality for a mid-range phone, but it still fares well. Its most glaring problem is when exposed to direct sunlight, you might have difficulty viewing the screen.

PERFORMANCE. Although its 1-GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and 512MB RAM are not impressive, the Lumia 521 still has a sound performance. It runs smoothly even after opening numerous apps and surfing the web.

However, since this device is not LTE-capable and still runs on a slow T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 21 4G network, streaming music or downloading large apps may take a while. This is why this compact Lumia is not recommended for those who are into streaming media. But other than that, it is still very functional and smooth.

CAMERA. This is where Nokia has failed us. The Lumia series is primarily known in the market as the carrier of the best smartphone cameras at fairly reasonable prices. Although the Lumia 521 has the budget-friendly price, its 5-MP camera doesn’t deliver the quality that we are expecting. It has a slow focus and no flash, limiting your shooting capabilities especially in low-light conditions.

BATTERY LIFE. With a 1430 mAh battery, the Lumia 521 barely lasted 10 hours with medium usage, according to digitaltrends.com’s bench test. This is a definite fall back if you’re using a lot of apps while surfing the net.

After taking a quick rundown of its specs, we now return to the question: is it worth it?

Overall, the Nokia Lumia 521 is not that bad. It has an average software and body that is at par with other mid-range phones. Its camera and slow mobile data speed is a deal breaker for those who love using media. However, if you’re not that much of an apps person and you want to cut back on the expenses, then the Nokia 521 should do just fine.